Starting with nothing except some cash and a passion for food, build your restaurant from the ground up. Hire waiters, decorate your restaurant and even cook the meals! Buy, build, outsell and out-price the competition. Enlight Software has just released a new patch for their restaurant sim bringing your retail copy to v1.14 (it comes in US and UK versions). The upgrade mainly seems to adress issues already listed in last patch. Read more for detailed list and download links ...

Set on the battlefields of the 20th century's most monumental conflicts, the series will thrust players into gripping, cinematic, authentic warfare. As unsung heroes, players experience the war from the perspective of multiple characters from numerous countries, each with varying roles and duties and who fight along side fellow soldiers in epic battle sequences. The Call of Duty brand will support Activision's multi-platform strategy and include both console and PC games. Check out these 4 impressive screens ...

Chaser is set in the year 2044 with players taking the role of John Chaser who, at the beginning of the game, wakes up suffering from amnesia on board the spaceship HMS Majestic being pursued by a crack team of heavily armed shocktroop soldiers. The game then takes players into an apocalyptic future set on Earth and Mars. Some new screens for you to enjoy ...

Gamesindustry.biz let us know that it's been confirmed that an Xbox version of Half-Life 2 is in development, with Valve's Doug Lombardi telling German Xbox magazine AreaXbox that the console port is underway.

"Yes, we're also working on an Xbox version, though not releasing any specific details on that until after E3," says Mr Lombardi.

This doesn't rule out versions on other consoles - it seems unlikely that AreaXbox would have asked about PS2 or GameCube versions - but given the difficulty of porting the title to those platforms, we'd suspect that the Xbox will be the only console to see Half-Life 2.

Digital Leisure announced today the release of a remastered version of the American Laser Games' smash arcade hit Mad Dog 2: The Lost Gold. The race with the notorious outlaw Mad Dog McCree and his gang of henchmen to the lost Spanish treasure now features superior video quality and is compatible with the full range of Windows operating systems.

Atari announced today that Stuntman for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, will be relaunched as part of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's "Platinum" range this summer. To be eligible for the special collection, each game must be available at retail for more than nine months and boast sales in excess of 500,000 units.

The Xbox version of the popular PC multiplayer shooter will contain all the current content of the PC version plus all of the content of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero single player game. There will be some Xbox exclusive content as well, including at least five new multiplayer levels, two new weapons (the Syringe and Machete) and some graphical improvements including 24 bit textures and better lighting and particle effects.. Check out the first 12 screenshots of the Xbox version below!

A post on the official forum for World of Warcraft let us know that the beta is expected to begin sometime between August and October (thanks VE3D). Here is the full clip:

The beta is expected to begin sometime in Q3 (Sometime between August and October). It will be done in stages. That is all the information we have at this time, please watch the World of Warcraft site for any news.

Colin McRae Rally, one of the games market's most valuable and acclaimed motor sport franchises, returns this year as Codemasters confirms Colin McRae Rally 04, a PlayStation 2 and Xbox addition to the genre-leading 6 million-selling series. Due this November, Colin McRae Rally 04 will have players driving on the very edge of control as the series' sublime car handling combines with new championships, new single and multiplayer gaming modes, and unique car part testing challenges to win advanced technology for your car. Read more for details and screens ...

Go ahead and dive under the falling safe, jump into the high-speed blender and flail into the blazing fire - the man of burlap can handle it! Microsoft Game Studios announced today that "Voodoo Vince" for Xbox will careen onto the scene this Autumn. "Voodoo Vince" allows players to explore and fight as a tattered but unrelenting voodoo doll as he explores the depths of the Louisiana Bayou full of outrageous levels and over-the-top characters. "Voodoo Vince" is the only game where kicking your own butt leads to victory!

Update: Added a batch of 20 new screens ...

Titans of Steel: Warring Suns is set in the far future where 4 races are fighting for Galactic domination. It was not before long that none of the fighting races could afford high casualties. The distance being battled over was over hundreds of light years. In order to be able to have an effective fighting force a new way of waging wars was developed. Fighting forces are formed into battle squads and the main fighting units are Titan Attack Techs better know as Titan-ATs.

Building on the success of its award-winning arcade racing video game, Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. today shipped Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Developer's Cut exclusively for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Featuring exclusive content and bonus features, Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Developer's Cut includes 21 additional custom car skins, 15 additional crash junctions, a customizable soundtrack option, true 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound support and an online worldwide leaderboard functionality via Xbox Live.

THQ today announced that Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system will be added this spring to Sony Computer Entertainment America's "Greatest Hits" collection -- one of the first third-party titles based on a kids' license to be included. Developed by THQ's internal studio, Heavy Iron Studios, Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights originally launched in May 2002. The game is based on the classic Scooby-Doo! TV series and features its original characters and villains with the celebrity voice talent of Don Knotts, Tim Conway and Tim Curry. Beginning May 1, Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.99 at retail outlets nationwide as part of the "Greatest Hits" program.

Activision, Inc.'s Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven was the #1 selling video game for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the month of March, according to NPD TRSTS Data. Additionally, the game was the #4 selling PlayStation 2 video game in the U.K. for the month of March, according to the U.K. Chart Track Flash Report and the #5 selling PlayStation 2 video game in Germany, according to Media Control.

Continuing to broaden the Nintendo GameCube library, Konami and Nintendo today announced Konami will publish a new Metal Gear adventure exclusive for Nintendo GameCube. Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes combines the thrilling story of the original Metal Gear Solid game with the jaw-dropping graphics and unparalleled gameplay found in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The game is scheduled to ship later this year in North America and Europe, followed by the Japanese launch in early 2004.

First original title from Leamington-based developer is a chimp-based war game. In Damn Dirty Apes, you are put in control of the Ape Army's elite fighting force, 51st Banana Battalion, and must guide your troops through 5 epic wars against your Simian brothers; Gibbons, Orangutans, Baboons, Chimpanzees and Gorillas.

It's Cannon Fodder meets Monkey Ball, by the looks of it. See for yourself with these seven shots.

Majorem Ltd. And The Stratics Massively Multiplayer Gaming Network are pleased to announce a dev-chat with the developers of Ballerium, the Massive multiplayer strategy game. The Chat will be held on Sunday May 4th at 6PM GMT in #BalleriumHoC on the Stratics IRC servers. Their topics will be "Ballerium on E3" and "Ballerium's public Beta". They will also be discussing the game's current development status.

Connect to irc.stratics.com port 6667 or, alternatively, to one of the following servers, preferably the one closest to you:

• irc.frws.com port 6667 USA - Colorado
  
• irc.glowfish.de port 6667/6668/7000 EU - Germany
  
• irc.epaxsys.net port 6667/6668/7000 USA - Colorado

The XGRA is the future sports equivalent of NASCAR or the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) – They are the rule makers, organizers and ultimately, the overlords of the racing world.. Here is a link to the game's freshly launched website.

World War II Online is a combined arms simulation in an online, persistent, action-packed 3D world. Now you can command and crew a variety of accurately modeled vehicles and aircraft or you can sling a weapon and fight as a foot soldier with and against thousands of other players. Playnet and Cornered Rat Software are still releasing new patches for World War II Online bringing your retail copy to v1.8.6. This new patch fixes various vehicle bugs, adresses a memory leak and various other tweaks. Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...